Strawberry Vow
by priestnobaka
Summary: [BelMamo AU Oneshot, warnings for gender assumptions] He never kept any promises made to her, except this one.


Author - me

Rating - G

Warnings - Female!slight OOC Marmon? AU.

Disclaimers - All characters belong to the awesome Amano Akira

Notes - First Reborn! fic, done in 3 hours. Dedicated to Risu)

He did not need anyone to escort him anywhere, even in his current condition; because he was a Prince. Hobbling on his good foot, Belphegor made his way towards the other side of town, hands holding tightly onto the crutches.

He had made a promise to her, and though he had broken many promises in the past, this was one promise he intended to keep.

He ran and ran as fast as his good leg could support him, and never slowed down even when he heard the sound of thunder from a distance. Soon after, there was rain water hitting his face yet he continued on.

-

She stood there by the pier, with an umbrella over her head. She had her hood up, which efficiently blocked the wind from hitting her face. This was the sixth day that she stood there waiting for him. The weather was kind to her on the other five days; but on this sixth day, maybe it was weeping for her lost cause.

Two hours to midnight, and it would be the end of the final day she would spend waiting for him. Though she had been doubtful about his claims of being a Prince, she could not help but admit to herself that real Princes do not remember peasant girls, much less keep promises they have made out of the blue. Maybe she was the fool, for waiting for him. As she turned around and looked at the ocean, the ship she was to board at midnight had begun allowing passengers to get on board.

Lowering her head, she tells herself that it was just two more hours, and she vowed to make it through, no matter what the outcome was.

-

_You smell like strawberries. My favourite._

She looked up upon hearing a voice. She scowled. It was the same boy that she had scowled at every morning for the past ten years when he used that line on her.

_Marmonlet's go play in the park._

She put on a straight face, and tried her best not to look at him.

_No. _She thought in her mind.

It would be an outright refusal, just like every other morning; yet today Belphegor had looked sincere for once.

Her errands could wait an hour or so.

As if reading her thoughts, Belphegor grinned, "We'll be back in an hour, I promise!"

That was not the first time, nor the last time Bel broke a promise to her.

-

He searched from stall to stall at the night market, for that particular fruit. Paying no heed to the people around him, he shoved them out of the way as he hobbled along. Misjudging a wet puddle, Belphegor lost his balance and crashed into the fruit stall he had intended to check out next, sending most of the owner's fruits crashing onto the ground. As the owner cursed and shouted at him, Belphegor found what he was looking for - a box of fresh strawberries. Yet his fall had also made him drop his crutches, which had landed on the box of strawberries, crushing most of it.

His hopes of finally keeping his word to Marmon was crushed, much like the strawberries that he now held in his hands.

-

When her fifteenth birthday arrived, her mother had decided her fate by sending her away to a nunnery. As a child in a family of seven children, she had no choice but to oblige. It was odd for a girl that young to have understood how tough a life they were leading, yet she had willingly accepted her fate without a single complaint. Her mother took pity of her, and allowed Marmon a week to say her goodbyes. With Bel, she only had six; as she had only told him about it the next day.

Bel had looked sad, but she knew he felt nothing but disappointment in losing a playmate - one he had had for ten years, since he was the age of six. They were silent when she broke the news to him. The next instance, Bel snickered.

_MarmonI know it would be your first time on a ship, so you might get sea sick. I have the perfect training for you to overcome that feeling. We'll train for the next six days till you have to leave. Meet me at the pier every night after dinner, I promise you would not feel nauseatic after this training!_

As usual, Marmon said nothing about Bel's antics, but played along.

On the first night, she had purposefully showed up two hours after dinner, not at all expecting him to be there. She was pleased yet slightly disappointed that she was right.

The second and third nights had been the same, as Marmon stood at the pier with the sea breeze around her; questioning her naivety.

For the forth night, she decided not to stand in plain sight. Instead, she chose to hide behind some containers at the pier and kept a lookout for Bel. After all, hide and seek _was_ his favourite game.

She chose to pace around the pier on the fifth night. Calling Bel names and cursing him in her mind as she conjured up ways to make him miserable. If only she could really carry out these thoughts when Bel shows up.

Fifteen more minutes to go and the sixth night would be over. She had her luggage by her side now and was ready to leave her home of fifteen years. The rain had stopped by now and she kept the umbrella. Adjusting her hood, she took one final glance back at the surroundings of the pier, trying to spot that familiar blonde haired boy.

-

Bel was enthusiastic about the training sessions with Marmon during her last days here. He was not concerned that she had to leave, but he wanted to make these six days unforgettable for the both of them. He rubbed his hands in glee as he thought of the tricks that they would pull on others, just like before; the trainings for preventing sea illness was merely an excuse. Marmon was known for not bothering with Bel if it was not for a valid reason. This one had sounded reasonable enough.

But even the boy who called himself a Prince had not seen it coming. That first night itself after dinner, he was on his way to the pier when several barrels had come rolling in his direction. Stunned and unable to move, the first barrel had knocked him off his feet, leaving him lying on the ground when the remaining barrels crushed against his right foot. Cringing from the pain, he had lost conciousness soon after.

It was not until the morning of the day Marmon was leaving that he was allowed to leave the hospital, and receive treatment from home. When the antiseptics wore off for the day, Bel had rushed out of his home like a crazy person - to the other side of town where the pier was, but not before stopping by the night stalls to get Marmon a farewell gift.

-

Sensing the crowd shuffling around her towards the ship, Marmon picked up her suitcase and walked with the crowd. Suddenly, a hand grabbed the side of her coat and yanked off the hood. Angered, Marmon turned around and saw Bel staring back at her. Though his eyes were hidden behind his long bangs, she knew his gaze was on her. He struggled to stand still, and that was when she noticed his plastered foot. He held a box in his left hand while his right supported the crutches. Bel gave her a trademark grin and handed the box over to her. She looked at the tiny box and gingerly, opened it. The strawberries inside were not all perfect, in fact most of them were crushed and smashed. Seeing this, Marmon could not help but laugh.

_The first promise I ever made to you._

Marmon nodded as she covered the box and held it to her chest.

_When the day comes where we are to part, with a box of strawberries, we'll keep in touch no matter where we are._

Marmon recalled her five year old self asking the six year old Prince, _how will we do that?_

_Ushishithat's a secret. But Marmon does not have to worry about it. The Prince will find his Princess all the time._

end


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